The other day, Presidents’ Day to be precise, I had my hip replaced. Years of playing squash, a fast-moving and otherwise healthful racquet sport, had worn away the cartilage on one hip and had ground the joint down to nothing. The surgeon’s highly technical (sic.) diagnosis was that it was “beyond broken.”

Leading
up to this common but still major surgery, I found myself with three
overwhelming concerns: (1) my toenails; (2) a slight irritation at waist level,
dry skin from Vermont’s cold winters exacerbated by a styrofoam flotation belt
worn for exercise in a pool; and especially (3) whether home health, after the
operation, would look askance at our small house, and at the clutter and
occasional mess created by its three dogs and three cats. Anyone who has given
birth may already be scoffing at these concerns. Whether they are merely
peculiar, fairly usual, or an abject denial of what was to come, I am not sure.

I
do know for sure that, soon to turn 73, I am extraordinarily fortunate. This
was the first time I had ever been an in-patient at a hospital. By contrast, in
a single year—2016 for instance—7% of the total US population experienced a
hospital stay of at least one night duration. That’s over 35 million inpatient
stays in one year.

These
Americans—readers of this blog among them—are a hardy bunch. My hospital of
choice (Copley) provided an exceptional quality of highly personalized care
during my recent stay. The entire staff was just terrific.

Nevertheless,
no matter how wonderful the ministrations of a healthcare team, a hospital is a
humbling place. That’s because a hospital is an example of a « total
institution »—that is, a place of work and residence where a large number
of people are cut off from the wider community for a considerable time. Their
new community has its own rhythm, rules, and procedures. For the healing and
recovery process to play out properly, hospital patients must skillfully play
their important roles; above all, they must make an effort to get better.

Of
course, the promise of eventual recovery makes it all well worth it, but hospitalization
is nevertheless far from easy: frequent patients have to be mighty tough. For
one thing, a slight pall of anxiety overlays everything. Patient instructions,
for instance, even for a planned-in-advance procedure such as mine, can end up seeming
more complicated than assembling furniture from IKEA. Amidst the swirl of
prescriptions, instructions, do’s and don’ts, it’s hard not to feel at least a
little dense.

To
be sure, lots of valuable lessons are learned in the process, including
humility, gratitude and our common humanity. But they come at a price: a temporary
loss of privacy, nakedness and exposure, the surgical assault upon one’s body, as
well as a forced immersion into the private travails of strangers who are all
too close.

No
one looks forward to feeling these ways. Their antidote would seem to be
minimizing hospitalizations. Accomplishing that will require, on the part of
many of us, a greater focus on wellness. And even then, some hospital stays are
the product of bad luck or non-preventable circumstances beyond our control. Certain
microorganisms, genetic legacies, environmental factors or accidents can land
us on our backs.

But there remain many hospital stays that result from individual lifestyle choices. My hope is that, to minimize the chances of being hospitalized, readers will take whatever steps they can toward their own wellness. Recent posts on this blog, for instance by Caleb Magoon and Michele Whitmore, provide some great and practical suggestions. Future posts will provide more, so stay tuned.

In
addition, wouldn’t it be great if insurance providers increased their support
for wellness? In Germany, for instance, certain blood pressure readings would yield
an Rx for hydrotherapy and spa treatments. Try charging your insurer for those!
Nor is there generally insurer support for membership in a gym or fitness
center, despite the consensus among healthcare providers that more exercise
would be beneficial for most people. Acupuncture, in spite of its lineage that dates back thousands of years, is rarely supported. Even therapeutic
massage, the benefits of which are widely recognized, is not generally covered.

A
greater investment in preventive and wellness measures would save a great deal
of money now expended on curative, after-the-fact treatments. So I urge readers
to take whatever steps they can, hopefully with—but even without—the support of
their insurers. The hospital, even a great one, should be a last resort.

Dan Regan, a sociologist, is the former dean of academic affairs at Johnson State College and continues to work part-time for Northern Vermont University. He writes for a variety of publications about whatever interests him, including—recently—climate change, living with arthritis, the NFL players’ protests, and higher education.

One of the things I love most about my work is connecting with students. Recently I had the opportunity to meet with three Lamoille Valley students. As part of our conversation, I asked them what they wished adults knew… Here’s what they had to say:

“Depression, anxiety, and insecurity are real in our lives.” While adults struggle with these things, our students are experiencing them, often for the first time, without the tools that adults have learned. As adults, we need to acknowledge these feelings as real and very pressing. Students have limited life experiences to reference and are making life-altering decisions that will shape the rest of their lives. Honor these feelings and be there to help.

Similarly, “Stress is real.” There are a lot of things that youth have to manage. Create opportunities to develop skills and habits to manage stress. These can be simple things: talking, listening to music, going for a walk/run, journaling, creating art, physical activity, and learning to know what you can do and how to say “no.” This last concept is key… youth don’t want to let anyone down… friends, teachers, parents… it’s easy for them to overcommit to avoid hurting others’ feelings. Learning to look at their schedules, balance their time, and say “no” gracefully are important life skills.

“Recognize that we have different personalities and enjoy different things. Provide opportunities to develop our unique skills.” Many students like to help, but as adults, we should be aware of their personalities and interests and find ways to meet those interests and build those skills. As an example, one person may love to speak and be out front while another enjoys helping behind the scenes. Embrace their personalities!

I encourage you to take time to ask the youth in your life, “What do you wish the adults in your life know about being a teen?” or “Life seems pretty stressful right now, how can I support you better?” Then really listen and find ways to show that you heard them. When you do this, you’re building protective factors* for youth. You’re showing them that they matter and opening up opportunities for future conversations!

* Healthy Lamoille Valley is a substance abuse prevention coalition working to reduce youth substance abuse. Find out more at healthylamoillevalley.org. Youth who have strong protective factors are less likely to rely on substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana to manage stress or find value.

Jessica Bickford works as a Coordinator of Healthy Lamoille Valley, where she has enjoyed writing for their blog. Writing for Copley’s community blog is a natural extension of this experience! Healthy Lamoille Valley focuses on making healthy choices easy choices, realizing that when we have access to healthy options we are less likely to choose behaviors that are harmful. Prevention is really a lifestyle of wise choices that enable us to live life to the fullest.

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It is essential that you seek professional advice for all issues concerning your health. Do not take any of the information in this blog (either in posts or comments) as professional advice or official communication from Copley Hospital or any of the blog authors. Posts and comments on this blog are not intended to be professional advice, unless implicitly indicated in the blog post, and do not necessarily reflect Copley Hospital policy or corporate opinion. The opinions and/or views expressed on Live Well Lamoille represent the thoughts of the individual bloggers and commenters, not those necessarily of the organizations they represent or organizations affiliated with the blog.

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